National Cancer Awareness Day

Last Updated07/11/2021

November 7 is observed as the National Cancer Awareness Day to raise awareness about the second leading cause of death globally, Cancer.
This date was announced for this occasion in September 2014 by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who was the Minister of Health back then.
This particular date was selected as it is the Birth anniversary of Madame Curie, a prominent scientist remembered for her efforts and contribution in the battle against cancer.

Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and multiply (through a process called cell division) to form new cells as the body needs them.
Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
Some of the general categories of cancer-related or causative agents are as follows, chemical compound, toxic exposures, radiation, pathogens, and in rare cases human genetics.

Cancer remains as one of the leading causes of adult illness and death due to chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) world-over including in India.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and in 2018, there were approximately 18 million cases globally, of which 1.5 million were in India alone.
There were around 0.8 million cancer deaths in India in 2018 against 9.5 million globally. The number of new cases is estimated to double in India by 2040.

Options include surgery, cancer medicines and/or radiotherapy, administered alone or in combination.
Palliative care, which focuses on improving the quality of life of patients and their families, is an essential component of cancer care.

One woman dies of cervical cancer every 8 minutes in the country.
For every 2 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, one woman dies.
Around 3,000 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases in India.
1 in 5 deaths among men and 1 in 20 deaths among women is related to smoking, accounts for an estimated 9,30,000 deaths in 2010.
Around 25 lakh people are suffering from cancer.
Cancer claims 7 lakh lives every year across India.
While cancers of oral cavity and lungs in males along with cervix and breast in females. account for over 50% of all cancer deaths in India.
The top five cancers in men and women account for 47.2% of all cancers.

It was created in 1965 by a resolution of the World Health Assembly, as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.
The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.
It comprises 27 member countries. India is a member of it.
Headquarters: Lyon, France.

It is a network of major cancer centers, research institutes, patient groups, and charitable institutions across India with the mandate of establishing uniform standards of patient care for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, providing specialized training and education in oncology and facilitating collaborative basic, translational and clinical research in cancer.
It was formed in August 2012.

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) are being implemented.

This programme was initiated under the National Health Mission (NHM).
The primary components include awareness generation for cancer prevention, screening, early detection, and referral to an appropriate institution for treatment.

'Tertiary Care for Cancer’ scheme was launched with a primary purpose to set up individual units in every state.

As per the plan state cancer institutes (SCI) and tertiary care cancer centers (TCCC) in different parts of the country are to be set up.
The maximum assistance inclusive of state share for each unit is around Rs 120 crore, for TCCC, it will be around Rs 45 crore.

National Tobacco Control Programme is launched to create awareness about the dangerous effects of tobacco consumption, reduce the demand and supply of tobacco products.
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) was launched to meet the financial demands for cancer treatment
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had launched a Pilot on Trade Margin Rationalisation for 42 anti-cancer drugs in February 2020 as a step towards making healthcare more affordable for the suffering patients. This led to a reduction in the prices of drugs.